yes i do realize that i said that I need to research everything, and I am doing my research right now. If i have a question on what i find, then I come back here. You guys helped answered my question, and thank you for doing that.

yeah i am going to mine tomorrow to go and check them out.

yeah i just got one powerhead that does 1200gph and i am getting another one next week. Is that the correct amount? I also asked him about putting that live rock in the sump and replacing the bioballs with it, but he said that everybody is bound to get ick in there tank. And to get rid of ick you need to add copper to your tank. However when you add the copper, it will kill all of the micro-algae from the live rock and basically make it useless. So I decided against getting live rock in the sump. Is that true?

yeah man thanks, Yeah those powerhead are very strong and when I was setting one of them up i positioned it at the sand on accident and it was cloudy the rest of the day. haha

A Brief Synopsis of the History of Greek Fire

A Byzantine historian by the name of Theophanes the Confessor recorded that a substance known as "Greek fire" was invented in 670 AD, while some modern historians think it was created earlier. Either way, the recipe was kept secret until it was lost when Muslims overran Constantinople in 1453. There are several theories as to the recipes but no one has ever been able to replicate the exact characteristics of Greek fire in a laboratory setting. Greek fire was used in Greek naval warfare as an anti ship weapon. As ships of the time were made of wood, they were especially susceptible to fire. When the Greeks created a strange concoction of chemical compounds and hurled it at a ship they found that the fire was not only able to float on the water like modern petroleum, but it also remained stuck to the side of the enemy ship for long duration of time, all the while burning through the ship until it was no longer seaworthy. Needless to say, with this kind of weapon of “potential” mass destruction, the recipe for this “Greek Fire” was a closely guarded secret. As time progressed the actual recipe for Greek fire was lost to the pages of history. Although fairly recently in 1952 Maurice Mercier found that primitive grenades that had once contained Greek Fire had traces of KNO3 so it was safe to determine in our hypothesis that Greek Fire must contain KNO3. One of the most promising recipes for Greek fire that we found in our research was phosphorus mixed with KNO3; unfortunately we abandoned this particular recipe for safety reasons.
Unfortunately, we were also forced to abandon launching the Greek fire in the traditional fashion. Contemporary historians reported that the Byzantine Greeks fired the Greek fire in a near liquid form from bronze tubes affixed to the bow of their ships.

Hypothesis

In order to replicate the Greek fire, both safely and effectively, we settled on five generally accepted recipes.

1. Rosin, Lime, KNO3, and Linseed Oil
2. Naphtha, KNO3, and Lime
3. Sulfur, KNO3, and Naphtha
4. Petroleum, KNO3, and Sulfur
5. Sulfur, Lime, and Naphtha
In these experiments we are looking for a sticky, liquid like substance, brown in color, that easily ignites, and burns through the provided wood. The recipe that has all of those physical characteristics and burns both the longest and with the most enduring vigor has the greatest possibility of being a possible recipe for Greek fire.








The Procedure

In order to decide the most likely recipe for Greek fire we implemented a series of tests. These tests consisted of each of the five solutions, mixed and poured onto a cedar board. The cedar board was used to duplicate the construction of Byzantine Greek naval vessels. After pouring one of the five solutions onto a cedar board, a common kitchen match was used to start the combustion reaction. While the solution burned, we observed the different effects each solution had upon the cedar board. After the fire had consumed most of the accelerant we documented the time in which it took for the solution and the fire to dissipate completely. After all five solutions were tested the boards were washed and laid in the sun to dry. We then examined the boards and were able to deduce the most destructive solution, and therefore the most likely recipe for Greek fire.


The Observations

Test One: Rosin, Lime, KNO3, dissolved in Linseed Oil: 0 mins
The least effective of all the recipes, this solution failed even to light. When it did manage to light the solution quickly stifled the match and the flame died. The solution smelled conspicuously of pumpkin and gasoline. It appeared to be a brownish black color when mixed.

Test Two: Naphtha, KNO3, and Lime: 3 mins
The most convincing, vigorous, and powerful reaction. The solution had an almost instant ignition, and smelled much like gasoline. The solution also appeared to be very sticky and tar like in appearance. The mixture formed bubbles in the wood and thoroughly scorched it.

Test Three: Sulfur, KNO3, and Naphtha: 9-10 mins
The longest reaction of the five, this solution created fairly noxious fumes that burned the throat; the solution was tar like in both color and appearance.

Test Four: Petroleum, KNO3, and Naphtha: 2-3 mins
A fairly average reaction with little in the way of fire and vigor. The solution created another noxious gas, which appeared green in color.

Test Five: Sulfur, Lime, and Naphtha: 3 mins
Another average reaction, which produced a noxious green gas. The lime rather than contributing to this reaction actually seemed to reduce it instead. In fact, the lime preserved portions of the wood and protected it from fire.






The Conclusion

Although we had a wide range of effects, we have determined that the most likely recipe for Greek fire was a combination of Naphtha, KNO3 and, Lime. We came to this conclusion by both the effectiveness of the solution and the availability of the products. While we found it harder to procure, the ancient Greeks would have had little trouble in tracking down the ingredients necessary in order to create such a destructive weapon. We also came to the conclusion that while effective against enemy ships on the high seas, Greek fire would have been more devastating as an anti personnel weapon. Indeed, upon further research into the historical record, we found evidence of such practices in both siege and naval warfare. It is likely that the use of the substance Napalm was inspired by the implementation of the primitive though ultimately effective, Greek fire.

Ancient Testaments as to the Power of Greek Fire

"Every time they hurl the fire at us, we go down on our elbows and knees, and beseech Our Lord to save us from this danger." –Anonymous victim of Byzantine Greek Fire

The following passage comes from the memoirs of Jean de Joinville, a thirteenth century French nobleman who observed the terrifying effect of Greek fire in the Seventh Crusade.

It happened one night, whilst we were keeping night-watch over the tortoise-towers, that they brought up against us an engine called a perronel, (which they had not done before) and filled the sling of the engine with Greek fire. When that good knight, Lord Walter of Cureil, who was with me, saw this, he spoke to us as follows: "Sirs, we are in the greatest peril that we have ever yet been in. For, if they set fire to our turrets and shelters, we are lost and burnt; and if, again, we desert our defenses which have been entrusted to us, we are disgraced; so none can deliver us from this peril save God alone. My opinion and advice therefore is: that every time they hurl the fire at us, we go down on our elbows and knees, and beseech Our Lord to save us from this danger."
So soon as they flung the first shot, we went down on our elbows and knees, as he had instructed us; and their first shot passed between the two turrets, and lodged just in front of us, where they had been raising the dam. Our firemen were all ready to put out the fire; and the Saracens, not being able to aim straight at them, on account of the two pent-house wings which the King had made, shot straight up into the clouds, so that the fire-darts fell right on top of them.
This was the fashion of the Greek fire: it came on as broad in front as a vinegar cask, and the tail of fire that trailed behind it was as big as a great spear; and it made such a noise as it came, that it sounded like the thunder of heaven. It looked like a dragon flying through the air. Such a bright light did it cast, that one could see all over the camp as though it were day, by reason of the great mass of fire, and the brilliance of the light that it shed.
Thrice that night they hurled the Greek fire at us, and four times shot it from the tourniquet cross-bow.


HOPE THIS HELPS!
Sincerely
Johnathan Stewart